Sun Mar 23 01:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Delhi High Court Judge Transferred Amidst Cash-Stashed Fire Controversy
**New Delhi:** A fire at the Delhi residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, a Delhi High Court judge, has led to his transfer to the Allahabad High Court amidst a controversy involving a large sum of cash discovered at the scene.
On March 14th, a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence. Firefighters responding to the blaze reportedly found stacks of cash in a room affected by the fire. The amount remains undisclosed. This discovery sparked an internal investigation and subsequent action.
While Justice Varma’s explanation to the Supreme Court Collegium regarding the presence of the cash was deemed unsatisfactory, the details of that explanation have not been made public.
The matter escalated to the Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sanjiv Khanna, who heads the Collegium. The Collegium, after considering the incident and the judge’s response, decided to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. This decision was met with mixed reactions, with some members of the Collegium advocating for a more stringent response, including a possible resignation request or even impeachment proceedings if the judge refused to resign. Concerns were raised regarding the impact of the incident on the judiciary’s reputation and public trust.
The Supreme Court had established a procedure in 1999 to investigate allegations against judges of constitutional courts. This procedure typically involves a request for an explanation from the judge, followed by the formation of an inquiry committee if the explanation is deemed insufficient. The exact actions taken based on this procedure in this case have not been detailed publicly. The transfer to Allahabad can be considered a measure taken based on this procedure and the concerns raised.
First Piper 